Media Alert: California’s Governor Signs Assembly Bill 1596 Into Law for Fentanyl-Contaminated Properties

What: Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has signed into law Assembly Bill 1596, which renames the Methamphetamine Contaminated Property Act as the Methamphetamine or Fentanyl Contaminated Property Cleanup Act. This new law aims to protect those who live or work in California by establishing interim cleanup standards for the cleanup of fentanyl labs until permanent standards can be developed by the state or federal government. As a result of this legislation, local health officers will be provided with directions on how to provide adequate notice to property owners and renters of property contaminated by fentanyl as well as guidance on overseeing the cleanup of these properties. The law also forces homeowners to notify potential renters or buyers that an overdose occurred on the premises.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association lent its support for the legislation as it moved through the California state legislature, because the establishment of procedures and standards for the cleanup of sites contaminated by fentanyl will help protect the health and safety of those who live or work in the state.

Why: As the use of fentanyl and its analogues increases, so does the risk exposure. Exposure to fentanyl and equivalents may result in the abrupt onset of potentially life-threatening respiratory depression if exposure is via inhalation, contact with other mucous membranes, a needlestick, or ingestion.

Where: For more information on California Assembly Bill 1596, please visit California Legislative Information’s website.

Who: Founded in 1939, AIHA is a nonprofit organization serving professionals dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation, control and confirmation of environmental stressors in or arising from the workplace that may result in injury, illness or impairment, or affect the well-being of workers and members of the community. AIHA provides comprehensive education programs and other products and services that help its members maintain the highest professional standards.

More than half of AIHA’s nearly 8,500 members are Certified Industrial Hygienists, and many hold other professional designations. AIHA serves as a resource for those employed in the industrial, consulting, academic and government sectors.

Contact: For additional information, contact Mark Ames, AIHA’s director of government relations, at mames@aiha.org.